(un)Wanted Blessing
by cher.lynne
Summary: Jughead Jones made the most monumental mistake of his life… Now he races to turn it all around before he loses the only thing that ever mattered...


Jug groaned as he looked at the clock, it was 3:00 pm and to say his day had been a disaster was an understatement. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong today did, starting with getting his ass chewed out by his boss for being a measly 15 minutes late because his alarm malfunctioned; which also meant he didn't have time to stop at his favourite cafe to grab his daily cheese bagel breakfast and his much needed cup of coffee; neither of which helped improve his already sour mood.

And then, the kicker of the day came in the form of a surprise meeting (or maybe not so much of a surprise as the fact that he had forgotten about it while tending to his ill girlfriend the night before). Either way, his lack of preparation lead to a _long_ meeting—that everyone blamed him for, yet _another_ reprimand for being unprepared, and the ultimate consequence, in his opinion, a missed lunch.

He honestly didn't think his day could get any worse, but then came the knock on his office door, loud and annoyingly energetic, followed closely by a bubbly blonde bursting in before he had a chance to say a word.

She was utterly beaming, talking and gesturing a mile a minute, and instead of hearing the importance of what she was saying, all he could focus on in his irritation, was the twitch in his jaw at yet another interruption.

Suddenly, before he could stop it, his shitty ass mood; further hangered by the way his stomach was currently eating itself, all but exploded in the most disastrous show of word vomit and selfishness that he had ever acted upon or bared witness to.

It was at 3:07 pm that he, Jughead Jones, made the most monumental mistake of his life….

**3:07pm**

"Fucking hell, are you serious?! This is the last thing I need right now, Be—"

"_Excuse me?!_ Are _YOU_ serious right now? That's really all you're going to say?! I can't believe you, Jug! If anything I'd think that this would brighten your day not make it worse!" Betty cut him off incredulously.

"I'm _sorry_ that my reaction doesn't meet your expectations Betty, but I've been having kind of a shit day here already. First I was late and my boss gave me hell, then there was a meeting that I wasn't prepared for which lead to more shit, I haven't eaten all fucking day and I couldn't even send the intern for food because she up and quit this morning, not to mention we've been swamped all goddamn day with problem after problem after problem! And now you burst in here and drop another one in my lap!" he ranted, running his hands through his hair.

"_Problem_?! You think that me being _pregnant_, with _YOUR_ child, is a _problem_!?" Betty spat out, her voice raising and making him flinch as she tightened her fists at her sides.

"No—that's not—" he started before releasing a long loud breathe, "Can I just have some time to fucking think, to come to terms?!" he threw out, swinging his arms wide in frustration.

Betty choked back a disbelieving breath, "You know what _Jughead_...take all the time you need, and in the meantime I'll just be growing, and loving, and planning for our baby, because whether you like it or not, I _am_ having this baby, and he or she will be here in less than seven months and no amount of _thinking_ is going to change that!" Betty yelled, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to keep her anger in check.

After a few bated breaths she released a sigh, shaking her head as she looked at the floor, "I thought...I thought you'd be happy...that the idea of starting a family with the person you love, the person you had just asked to move in with you...would be a good thing, a _happy_ thing, sure maybe it's wasn't planned" she added with a shrug finally meeting his gaze, "But I was excited—I _am_ excited—and I just assumed that you would be too, that you would want _this_" she emphasized, laying her hands on her stomach, "I guess I was wrong" she finished, lifting her hands in defeat.

"Betty...you're not—it's just—I wasn't prepared okay, I wasn't expecting this, and I can't—" he paused, chewing on his bottom lip as he chose his words, "I don't know if I'm ready" he admitted.

"And do you think _I'm_ ready?!" she scoffed, "I was just as surprised as you are Jug, but you know what the big difference between you and me is?" she asked, not waiting for an answer before continuing, "The difference is that as surprised and shocked and shaken as I was, I still wasn't _anything_ but thrilled to be having this baby. I never once questioned it, or second guessed it, or felt even for a moment that I didn't _want_ it" she divulged, a protective hand falling naturally back to her abdomen.

"Jesus Betty, I didn't mean it like that, but you know I have a lot going on right now with the problems here, and finding a place...I just need to wrap my damn head around it, okay!? I need to figure out what the fuck this means for us and what we're going to do now" he explained, not missing the way the hurt in her eyes turned cold.

"Well, _Jughead Jones_, I'm going to make this reeaallly easy for you" she said, her voice even and strong as she poked a finger at his chest. "From this point forward, consider me, and _my _baby, no longer _your _problem, because I would much rather do this alone then with someone who views us as another unwanted burden" she stated matter of fact, before grabbing her purse off his desk and walking out of his office.

"Betts. _Wait_!" he called after her, swearing when he kicked the desk in his hurry to get around it and catch up to her.

By the time he tripped his way through his office and around the other cubicles Betty was already in the elevator angrily pushing the button.

"_Betty!_" he called again, ignoring the curious looks from his coworkers as he raced towards the elevator.

"Just—just wait" he plead as the doors started to shut.

He was close, so close that could see her chin trembling as she clutched her purse to her middle, but he was so focused on her that he didn't see the guy coming the other way until he almost ran him over.

He skidded to a stop just long enough to avoid disaster before he swerved around him and kept going, knowing that that few second delay had cost him precious time. The doors of the elevator were almost closed now and his gut clenched with the realization that he wouldn't reach her before they sealed.

He slowed but continued to walk towards her, his eyes holding hers, willing her to stay, "Betts…" he tried again as a small sob fell from her lips.

She took a step back from doors, pain and disappointment written all over her face, "Goodbye Jughead" she said as the first tears rolled down her cheeks.

"No!" he cried, rushing the last few feet as the doors closed and Betty disappear behind them almost like the final curtain on his abysmal performance.

"_Fuck_!" he yelled, slamming his palms against the shiny metal before hitting the button repeatedly.

"Come on, come on, come on!" he ground out impatiently.

"_Mr. Jones!_" his boss' voice boomed through the office.

"Shit" he cursed under his breath, dropping his hand in defeat before turning around to face the unimpressed man.

"Yes Mr. Fields?" he asked as calmly as he could.

The man narrowed his eyes at him before jerking his thumb behind him, "My office..._now_!" he demanded before turning around and walking away, leaving no debate on whether or not he was expected to follow.

Jug swept his hands through his hair as he cast another forlorn look towards the elevator, his mind, body and heart raging on in an internal battle.

"_JONES!_" his name was yelled again.

He took a ragged breath and released it through his nose, "Fuck!" he grit out, slamming his hand into the door again before turning and making his way towards his bosses office.

As much as his first instinct was to chase after Betty, he also knew that he couldn't lose this job, especially now when they were going to need the money more than ever. So he sat, his knee bouncing up and down impatiently as he listened to his third lashing of the day.

However, he barely registered a word his boss said as the thoughts of Betty and what just happened flowed through his mind.

_'He was such an ass...how could he have just blown up on her like that? There was no excuse and now he may have screwed everything up for good…with Betty, with the baby, his baby—god, he was going to be a father' _he thought wondrously, his heart clenching at the realization. '_That's if Betty would even talk to him, let alone take him back and let him in the kids life after his impressive show of dickheadness'_ he worried.

"Are you listening to me Jones?!" His boss yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him jump.

"Ah, yes, yes sir" he answered, hoping he wasn't going to ask him to repeat anything he had just said.

"Good! Now get out of here, in fact, take the rest of the day off and regroup, but I expect you back here ready to work by 8:00 am Monday morning, and if I ever see another performance like that in this office again you're done, you got it?" he warned.

"Yes sir, loud and clear sir" he affirmed already getting up from his chair, "And thank you" he told him sincerely, shaking his hand before turning for the door.

"Oh and Jones?"

"Yeah?" he asked, pausing in the doorway.

"You may want to use this extra time to make it up to your girl" he advised knowingly.

Jughead winced, "You heard that?"

"I'm pretty sure the whole building heard that argument, Son."

"Sorry sir" he sighed, "I...I don't know what came over me."

"Well I can't help you there, but I can tell you that I'm not the one you should be apologizing to" he informed.

Jug nodded, "I know that, but I—I don't know if it'll make a difference...I really think I may have lost her...lost them" he lamented quietly, hanging his head.

"Well you won't know until you try now will you" Mr. Fields said as he walked over and clapped him on the shoulder, "Look Jones, you have passion, and you have heart, and that makes you a damn good writer and employee when you want to be. And I'm willing to bet that it makes you an even better partner to…"

"Betty" Jug filled in.

"To Betty" the man repeated with a smile, "So go to her...tell her that you love her, admit that you're an idiot, and then tell her that you're sorry. Because I have no doubt that if you put even half the amount of effort and dedication into your family that you do towards this job that you'll make one _hell_ of a father" he told him genuinely.

Jughead let out a breath and swallowed against the lump in his throat, '_you will not cry in front of your boss, you will not cry, Forsythe'_, he repeated to himself as he pushed down his emotions.

"Thank—thank you Sir" he managed.

"Please, I think you can call me Tom" he smiled.

"Well thank you, Tom, I hope you're right."

"Well I'm not often wrong" he joked and Jug chuckled. "Now go pull your head out of your ass, man up and apologize" he told him with another slap to his back.

Jug shook his hand again, "Thanks again Si—Tom, I'll see you Monday" he said giving the man a small wave before hurrying away.

"Good luck kid...you may need it" the man mused to himself as he shut his door.

It took him exactly 27 minutes to make it from his work to Betty's current apartment, which he's pretty sure is a record, he thought as he paused, leaning on his knees to catch his breath.

The fact that she hadn't answered one text, and her phone had gone straight to voicemail had only increased his anxiety as he hopped on the subway before proceeding to run the remaining six blocks to her place.

"God I'm outta shape" he panted before standing upright, taking one last breath as he pushed the call button for apartment 305.

"Lodge/Cooper residence" a voice crackled over the intercom.

"Veronica! Hey, it's Jug, I need to talk to Betty, it's really important, can you let me in, please" he asked, the plea evident in his voice.

He didn't know what to expect but the sarcastic laugh that shot out of the speaker was not it.

"Let you in?" she snorted in disgust, "Are you out of your freaking mind Jones!" she spat, the question obviously hypothetical as she continued on talking.

"I don't know what the _hell_ you did or said to her, but it must have been bad because she wouldn't even tell me, and Betty tells me _everything_! Not that I could have understood her through all the tears and sobs anyways" she threw out, making his heart drop into his stomach at the thought of Betty so upset.

He cursed himself as he dropped his forehead to the brick wall, his eyes squeezed shut to ward off the threat of tears as extreme remorse tore through him. He had never liked to see her in pain and he absolutely hated it when she cried, but to know that he was the cause of it...well that was so, so much worse. The guilt feels beyond crippling and he has no idea how he'll ever make it up to her. Hurting Betty was something that he had _never_ wanted to do.

"Veroni—"

"I'm not finished Forsythe!" she cut him off angrily, "Like I said, I don't know what you did to break my best friends heart, but you _fucked_ up, and you fucked up royally! And you know what, if she wanted to talk to you, she would be" she finished matter of fact.

"Look, I know I screwed up Veronica, trust me I _know_ alright! But I can't fix it unless you let me in so I can talk to her..._please_" he added after a few moments of silence.

He heard her sigh and then she spoke "Jughead...even if I wanted to help you—and that's a _big_ IF, I can't."

"But—"

"She's not here Jug" she interrupted softly.

"What do you mean she's not there, where is she Ronnie?"

"Jug...she was pretty upset, so maybe...maybe you should just give her the space she needs, let her calm down some and then see what happens" she suggested gently.

"No. I can't just let this go Veronica, because it isn't something that's going to go away or get better with time" he insisted. "Betty told me something today, something important, and let's just say it caught me off guard and I acted like a complete jackass" he admitted, "So it's very important that you tell me where I can find her so that I can apologize and let her know that that's not really how I feel" he reasoned with her.

"I don't know Jug...she asked me not to say anything, and girl code and all..."

Jughead groaned loudly in frustration, Betty would probably kill him for telling her best friend the news before she could but he was desperate.

"Ronnie, Betty's pregnant" he revealed.

"Ronnie? Did you hear what I said?" he asked after a minute of silence, "Are you still there? I really need your help here, she thinks—she thinks I don't want it, and that's not true, not even a little bit, so I need to talk to her..._Veronica!_" he tried again, louder this time after continued silence.

"Say someth_—Jesus Christ!_" he jumped, startled when the building door swung open.

"Betty's pregnant?" the raven haired woman asked as she appeared before him, and he nodded his confirmation.

"She said she was going home for a while, to Riverdale to think things through, she left about a half an hour ago for the train station. If you take my car you might just catch her before she leaves" she told him holding up her keys.

"Thank you" he breathed out with a relieved smile, placing a quick kiss to her cheek as he took the keys from her.

"Don't make me regret it Jones" she warned, eyes narrowing before breaking into a smile, "Now go! Go get our girl!" she all but pushed him down the stairs and towards her car.

"Thanks again Ron!" he shouted as he jumped into the driver's seat; wasting no time as he pulled out into the street and took off.

"I'm gonna be the best Godmother ever!" Veronica squealed as she watched him go.

Jughead ran through the station, swerving in and out of the crowd and throwing out apologies behind him as he headed towards the platform for Riverdale. His sole focus on finding a certain blonde and praying he wasn't too late; not that that would stop him from hopping on the next train to Riverdale, but he was really hoping to skip the ride entirely...and avoid Alice Cooper at all costs.

He finally reached the right platform and his heart leapt when he saw Betty seated on a bench still waiting for the train.

But as he got closer he noticed the way her shoulders slumped and her head hung low, her gaze laser focused on her hands which were tightly clasped around something in her lap; the sight making his heart jump for a completely different reason.

He approached her slowly so not to startle her, but her attention was so fixed on her lap that she hadn't even noticed when he shuffled up next to the bench.

His eyes roamed over her again, noting the visible trace of tears that had once trailed down her face, and the red puffiness of her cheeks; his chest aching with the confirmation of just how much he had hurt her.

He blinked the wetness from his own eyes as his gaze fell to her hands, his breath catching when he realized what she was so engrossed in.

"Betty…" he breathed out as he memorized every detail of the small black and white photo.

She blinked at the sound of her name, almost like being awakened, and her eyes widened as she turned towards the voice, "Jug? What…what are you doing here? How did you find me?" she asked as she swept her hand across her cheeks, wiping away any trace of wetness.

"Veronica…she told me where you were going, even lent me her car" he admitted.

"Of course she did" she huffed, frowning as she looked away.

"To be fair she didn't budge an inch until I told her that you are...that your—"

"You told her?!" She asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry, I know you probably wanted to tell her yourself but I was desperate" he pleaded. "But she seemed excited, if that makes a difference. I'm sure she's already crowned herself the Godmother" he guessed, relaxing a little when he saw her lips twitch at his assumption.

"Can I sit?" he asked motioning to the spot beside her.

She glanced at the spot quickly, and then up at him before turning her face away again, "It's a public bench Forsythe" was all she said with a shrug, making him wince at the use of his formal name.

Well that wasn't exactly a yes, but it wasn't a no either so he lowered himself next to her, "Look Betty—"

"Why are you here Jug?" she threw out, cutting him off as she turned her whole body towards him, her anger evident across her face.

"Because I_ love _you…and because I love this baby too" he added as he reached over and ran his finger lightly along the edge of the picture.

Betty stared at him for a moment before choking out a sarcastic laugh, "Really? Cause you could have fooled me!" she snapped. "Or did I imagine that whole scene in your office where you basically called this baby a burden? Or was it _problem_, that's the word you used right...another problem?"

Jughead sighed, "I deserve that, and know I'll probably be apologizing for this for the rest of my life, but I'm sorry Betts, I was being an—"

"Asshole" Betty offered with a raised brow, and he couldn't help the grin that pulled at his lips. He always did like her sassy side.

"I was going to say idiot but yeah, asshole works too" he agreed with a soft chuckle. "Look, I was in a terrible mood from having a total shit day—not that that excuses how I reacted or what I said, because it doesn't—but you need to know that I didn't mean a word of it Betts" he swore, taking her free hand in both of his.

"I regretted it the moment it came out of my mouth, hell I regretted it even as it was coming out of my mouth. I knew I shouldn't be saying it, and that it wasn't true but I just couldn't stop it…it was like all my stress and anger just came spewing out like word vomit at the first target that presented itself, and I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. You didn't deserve any of it and I wish I could go back and change the moment, to make it happy like it should have been" he told her, wiping a rogue tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"It kills me that I hurt you baby…please give me another chance, the chance to make it right" he all but begged. "I'm so sorry" he said again as he cupped her face affectionately; hope blooming in his chest as she turned into his touch.

He took a chance and leaned forward, kissing her softly before pulling back again, his stormy blues searching the vibrant green that he loved so much.

Her eyes were still swimming but he could see that the fight had fizzled out of them, bringing a small smile of relief to his lips as he reached for the photo that had been clutched in her hand this whole time.

His grin grew as he studied the image, just barely able to distinguish the shape of the baby—_his baby…his and Betty's baby._

"And _this_…" he emphasized, holding the picture up, "This is _everything_."

"So are you saying that you want this?" she asked, a hopeful lilt to her voice. "You really want to do this with me?"

"More than anything" he released on a breath, and Betty dipped her head, another tear rolling down her cheek as a sob of relief visibly shook through her.

"Oh Baby…please don't cry" Jug soothed, wrapping her up in his arms and placing a kiss to her crown.

"It—it's okay, these are—are happy tears" she hiccupped into his chest; his fingers running through her hair in a comforting rhythm as he held her against him.

"I was just so scared…I thought—I thought that you didn't want this, that you didn't want the baby…or maybe even me anymore and I didn't know what to do…" she whispered.

"Oh God Betts! _No_. No, that is not even close to true!" he insisted, pulling away and lifting her face so she could see him and just how serious he was.

"I will _always_ want you Betty, in every way, shape and form that you will give me. And this baby—_our baby_—do I want it because it is mine? Hell yes!" he exclaimed.

"But I want it even more because it's yours" he added, stroking her cheeks lovingly as she beamed back at him.

"Don't you know by now that I want all of you? And this baby is a part of you Betts, so it is _literally_ impossible for me not to want it because I desire every single piece of you that I am lucky enough to get" he imparted, dropping a quick kiss to her lips.

"And that's never going to change...because my heart was searching for you before I even met you Betty, and that desire has only grown every day since. I don't just need you for today, or tomorrow, or next year, but for _forever_—I _want_ you forever baby" he revealed softly.

"Jug" she gasped, her breath leaving her body in a watery rush, "Are you—are you asking me to marry you?"

"I guess I am" he confirmed with a large grin, "It's not the way I planned it, and I don't have a ring yet, but if you want the big proposal I can—"

He didn't get to finish as Betty's lips crashed into his; his arms catching her as she practically threw herself on top of him, her momentum almost sending them tumbling from the bench.

The kiss was hungry, and passionate, and probably inappropriate for public, but he could care less as her greedy mouth pulled a deep groan from his chest.

"Betts…" he muttered against her swollen pout as she continued to kiss and nip at him, "Betty" he chuckled, "We should stop before we get arrested for indecency" he said, cupping her face and brushing the strands of hair from her forehead.

"I guess your right" she relented, pushing away and sitting back up as she straightened herself.

"So, can I assume that was a yes?" he prodded.

"Yes. So, so much yes" she nodded, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth; the action along with the dark promise in her eyes making his dick twitch.

"How about we go home and…_celebrate_" he suggested, pulling her lip from her grip with his thumb.

"Home…I like that" she mused, taking his hand as she rose from the bench, "Take me home, Mr. Jones" she purred, pulling him from his seat with a devilish smile.

He groaned, his pants growing tighter as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him for another heated kiss.

"Fuck Betty…" he growled as he dropped his forehead to hers, his breath caressing her face as he moved his hand to rub the slight bump just below her belly button, wondering how he had never noticed it before. "I am going to make so many babies with you" he promised, making her laugh.

"We're going to need a bigger place, aren't we?"

"We are _definitely_ going to need a bigger place" he grinned, relishing in her giggle as he picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he kissed her again.

"Come on, future Mrs. Jones and baby Jones" he murmured as he rubbed his nose affectionately against hers, "Let's go home and practice for the next one" he teased with a wink as he carried her down the platform.

"_Betty Jones_…I like that too" she decided, running her fingers through his dark curls with a happy sigh.

"Me too, Baby…me too" he agreed, heart full and smile bursting as he held his whole world in his arms.


End file.
